


Every Heart Should Have A Beat

by KayCeeCruz



Series: Facebook Marriage [2]
Category: Social Network (2010)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Marriage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-01
Updated: 2012-11-01
Packaged: 2017-11-17 12:37:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/551644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KayCeeCruz/pseuds/KayCeeCruz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They've made it to where they are. Married and together and happy about it. But Mark can't seem to find the words he needs to, he wants to tell Eduardo. It's a story about two people finding their footing in their relationship and loving all the way through it. </p><p> </p><p>  <i>"One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye."</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Every Heart Should Have A Beat

**Author's Note:**

> So. This is like hurt your teeth fluff and sweet mixed with some Mark angst because his curly head, really. Sequel to previous Facebook Marriage fic "don't love you (but I always will) written for TSN springfest. 
> 
> Written for thesocialbigbang 2012. Amazing art done by chosenfire28 can be found [here](http://chosenfire28.livejournal.com/267153.html)!
> 
> Comments loved and welcomed! <3

Mark has always been of the mind that he can't be held completely at fault for some of the decisions he made when he was young (and a little stunted emotionally, he can admit that). He didn't realize at the time what comparing women to animals really sounded like outside of his head. (Maybe Erica's hesitation to friend him back isn't that unreasonable.) It didn't occur to him that saying what was in his head didn't always go well. It still really doesn't. 

At the core of everything, he thinks that was always his main problem.

Mark Zuckerberg functioned _inside_ his own head, and outside interference (i.e. Dustin talking, Chris scolding, his teachers lecturing) never sunk through. Until he met Eduardo Saverin. (The rules and his world probably changed that day, but it would take years for Mark to see that.)

Not that he _listened_ to what Eduardo said any more than he had anyone else. (A lot of things, good and bad, wouldn't have happened if he had, so Mark thinks that's okay.)

It's that he actually _heard_ him through all the noise and traffic going on in his own mind. He knew when Wardo was disappointed, and even though he couldn't (wouldn't) change what he did, it bothered him that the smallest part of him wanted to. 

Only after Wardo had broken his laptop (and other things Mark didn't like to think about) and walked out of the offices did he get that it had been different with him.

Dustin calls it a miracle that they managed to get "your shit together, bros, cause that looked bleak, okay?" (Mark needs him to stop hanging around Sean so much.) But Mark doesn't believe in those. (Which, seeing as Facebook is probably one, seems ridiculous of him, but there you have it.) 

It's not a miracle. 

It was Eduardo. 

\-- --

Mark is in love with Eduardo.

This isn't a shocking revelation to anyone (and convenient since they're married and all) but Mark, probably, but it's a fact that he hadn't let himself think about too clearly for a long time -- years to be honest -- so it still takes Mark by surprise when he glances across the room or his desk or their table to find Eduardo there, steady and loving and _his_. It's a lot easier these days to believe it won't all disappear like smoke. 

But sometimes Mark still thinks it will. 

It's not something he actually talks to Eduardo about because he knows that will earn him a frown, or worse yet, the worried look that Eduardo only uses on Mark when he catches him on a seventy hour coding binge, or finds out that Mark hasn't eaten since lunch the day before, or he finds Mark awake on the couch at three in the morning. It's this look (huge eyes and a tense mouth, tentative in a way Mark _hates_ ) that makes Mark want to try harder even though those things can't be avoided sometimes. They make him Mark and Eduardo loves Mark. (At least he says it to him every day, which causes this flutter to start in Mark's chest, and he can't quite look at Eduardo after but he always tries to kiss him and mean it.)

So, Mark loves Eduardo. Stupidly. Completely. It's wired into him, coded, and he can't change it, won't and wouldn't want to. But he's Mark and the words just don't come out. He hasn't actually said them because Eduardo always does and Mark always responds ("Me too, Wardo." "Yeah, me too." etc). They've been married almost a year and meaning it for at least half of it (okay, maybe they meant it always) and he's happy. More than he's ever been. He thinks Eduardo is, too. 

It doesn't occur to him that something is wrong until Dustin opens his big, fat mouth. He walks into Mark's office, trailed behind by Sean. He doesn't have time for them. The Albums coding is screwed up to hell. There's a meeting with Sid and the other lawyers he can't get out of in an hour. 

And he had to cancel on Eduardo. Again. 

"Get out." 

It doesn't work, not that he thought it would.

"Mark, do me a favor and tell Sean that of course you've told your husband that you love him." 

Mark stops typing, not looking away from his screen. The silence stretches out until Dustin explodes. 

"MARK!" 

Sean says, "I told you so." 

Mark goes back to fixing the broken links. 

\-- --

Dustin corners him on his way to the bathroom (they need to build Mark his own private one so this kind of thing stops happening) and steers him toward Chris' office. Chris glances up, pausing his reading of the document in his hand, and raises one eyebrow. He looks really tired and Mark makes a note to get Sharon to force him to take a few days off (she scares even Chris). 

"Do I even want to know?" 

Mark rolls his eyes. "Dustin is an idiot." 

Chris nods. "Why does that mean you're sitting in my office, though?" 

"Mark hasn't told Eduardo he loves him," Dustin states exasperatedly, throwing himself on Chris’ couch and glaring at Mark with betrayal. 

Chris waits a moment, looking at Mark, and he sighs deeply. "Really?" 

Mark scoffs. "Okay, not that it's any of anyone's business, and seriously, Dustin, you need to get laid more often and stay the hell out of my marriage, but of course I have." 

Dustin narrows his eyes. "You have? You've said the actual words, 'I love you, Wardo,' to Wardo?"

Mark opens his mouth to say that _of course he has, what the hell_ , but then he snaps it shut because, well. 

Chris’ face softens. "Oh, Mark." 

Mark doesn't want to do this, shakes his head, waves his hands around as if to make a point. "He knows, okay?" 

Dustin is giving him that look that says Mark has no idea how to behave like a real human boy with feelings. "But have you actually said the words?" 

"I -- I don't have to say the actual words, Dustin. Eduardo knows. He doesn't need me to -- we're fine, okay? Leave it alone." 

He stands up and heads to the door, but not before catching the way Chris watches him sadly as he leaves the room. 

\-- -- 

The reason the four of them work together is because they each have a specific role in their four-way friendship. Mark is brutal but his honesty is never without its reasons. They may not make sense to anyone else but they are valid. Eduardo brings comfort, and sometimes that backfires on him, but he's never not going to care. Dustin never lets them take life too seriously and offers his own brand of medicine to make the bad days better. Chris -- Chris is their sanity. He know what they need to hear. Not what they want to, but what they need to. He's practical when the rest of them let emotions (those they can't control and those they never show) get away from them. 

So it doesn't surprise Mark to find Chris sitting on the couch in his office, laptop humming quietly next to him as he flips through a file. Mark hesitates at the door but it never works to avoid Chris. 

He knows where Mark lives. 

"How was the meeting?" He looks up, closing the folder and bringing his steady gaze to Mark's.

"Same as always." He sets down his laptop on his desk, straightens his shoulders back and turns to lean against his desk. "Everything is fine, Chris." 

Chris folds one leg over his knee, hands clasped and resting in his lap. "I never said it wasn't." 

Mark snorts, crosses his arms and glares at him. "You don't have to _say_ anything. It's that look on your face." 

"Why haven't you told Wardo you love him?" 

He makes a face, turning to walk around his desk, but Chris’ next words stop him. 

"I already know why, Mark. I want to hear you say it."

Mark doesn't look back. "You know?" 

"If you say it then it's real, and if you mess up and Eduardo leaves again then it'll hurt too much." 

Son of a bitch. 

Mark shakes his head and continues not looking at him until he's sitting down in his chair. He feels more in control behind his desk. Chris stares at him from his position on the couch and waits. Mark's aware that Chris is capable of waiting for a long time. 

"I don't know what you want me to say." Chris keeps staring. "Fine. Okay, so I'm in love with Eduardo. And things are going fine. I don't want -- he wasn't supposed to come back, Chris." 

Mark can't say it out loud yet. He doesn't trust that karma won’t come back and take it away. 

Chris looks at him quietly for another minute before nodding and standing up. "Okay." 

"That's it?" 

His friend's gaze softens as he shrugs. "I could tell you that Eduardo loves you back and that he isn't going to go anywhere. That you've already tested that by doing as much as you could to push him away, and he did as much as he could to stay away but it didn't work. What does that tell you?"

Mark looks away. "I don't know why he came back." 

Chris makes a frustrated noise. "Ask him," he says, before turning on his heel and walking out. 

Mark watches him stop in front of Dustin's office. Dustin keeps glancing into Mark's office. Whatever Chris says to him has Dustin relaxing and smiling gently toward Mark. 

He swivels his chair, wakes his computer up and finds the spot he'd left off in his coding, throwing himself back into it. Mark doesn't want to think about it anymore. 

\-- -- 

The thing is, Eduardo has never made him doubt when he says he loves him or that he forgave him. It's never that. 

The thing is that everything is new between, fragile where Mark is concerned, and he doesn't know what to do about that. He wants Eduardo to feel like Mark does. But it's never easy for him. The words catching in his mind when he wants to be able to -- give them to Eduardo. 

The thing is, Mark wants to give Eduardo everything. 

\-- --

Sean rolls his eyes at Mark and says, "Mark, don't be a stupid." 

"Why do you all say that to me?" Mark moans into the open bottle of beer dangling from his mouth. Eduardo is on a business trip and Sean is keeping him company.

"Because you are stupid." 

Mark scowls at his beer bottle.

Sean sighs next to him and says, "You are a dude of action, Zuckerberg. So. Be the action." 

Mark isn't sure  
if he's drunk or if Sean just had a _really_ good suggestion pertaining to feelings.

\-- -- 

He tries harder than he ever really has before because this is important. 

Mark is a big picture kind of person. Always has been. It doesn't mean he doesn't get the concept of the journey being more important than the destination. He completely understands. 

And thinks it's completely wrong. 

Your destination is what _should_ be important. 

But he also knows that the details -- no matter how small -- can make or break that big picture. 

So he decides that if he can't say the words then he'll find a way to show Eduardo. In a completely non-lame way, if possible. Dustin suggests candy and flowers. Mark tells him this is why he never gets laid. Sean thinks a trip to Ibiza for the upcoming White Party will help them get their gay on. Mark says hell no and even if they did, "you wouldn't be invited, Sean." 

Chris says, "I am not getting involved," but hides a smile in his hand when Mark asks him. 

It's actually Sharon who gives him the idea. 

"Maybe you cook for him. What's his favorite food?" 

Mark says, "Paella."

Sharon blinks.

"What?"

Her attempts at hiding a smile are pathetic. "No. I just -- didn't think you'd know. Sorry." 

Mark isn't shocked or insulted. Really. 

"What the hell is that by the way?"

"Yeah, no clue what that really is or how to make it, but he told me once that he missed eating that the most when he was away from home," he replies, then makes a face when she does that thing with hers she does anytime Mark talks about Eduardo. Which is a lot more than he thinks is probably healthy. 

There was a time Sharon was afraid of him. (Okay, maybe there never was because she is way scarier than he could ever be, but she used to have normal expressions around him.)

"I'll find you a recipe." 

But Mark knows that won't be good enough. 

"No."

"No?" 

He glances at Sharon. "I have it covered."

\-- --

That night Mark scans through the numbers on Eduardo's phone while Eduardo's in the shower and transfers the one he needs over to his own phone. 

\-- --

Mark in the kitchen is not the disaster most people (Dustin, Sean, his sisters) assume it would be. He can follow directions pretty well, thank you. Granted, it's not an art form when Mark attempts it, but nothing burns and/or seems poisonous. He calls that a win. 

He chooses to try his luck one day when Eduardo will be gone for most of it and he has their house to himself. Eduardo has a meeting in Frisco, and Mark takes the opportunity to try out the recipe he'd gotten. The directions and ingredients are written on a yellow pad in his meticulous, careful handwriting. He wants to make sure nothing goes wrong. 

It turns out to be fairly easy once he gets going and Mark spends all afternoon mixing up things in his kitchen that make the house smell delicious. 

He's pulling the last bit from the oven when he hears the front door open.

"Mark?" Eduardo calls from the front hall, keys dropping on the table just inside the front entry, "Why are you home so early?" 

Mark frowns at that but pushes the thought aside for the moment, walking into the living room. 

Eduardo grins hard, bending to kiss Mark soft, lingers at the corners of his mouth, pulling back with a confused expression. "What -- Mark, have you been eating--?"

He nods. "Paella. Tasting it to make sure it's okay, actually." He pushes Eduardo toward the stairs. "Go change, Wardo, and come back down for dinner."

"You made dinner?" Eduardo asks, awestruck wonder on his face, voice gone soft. 

"I did. Go change." 

Turning around to hide a grin (because Eduardo's face is the best thing ever when Mark surprises him and it's going to be something he does more often), Mark heads back to turn off the oven. Eduardo's footsteps are right behind him and he turns in time to watch him walk into the room. 

Eduardo’s eyes are wide as he takes in the mess of their kitchen, and Mark bites his lip because he knows it looks bad but he'd never made paella before. He knows he might have gone overboard on it by making three different versions (the recipe suggested a few different variations) because none of them seemed good enough, but if he tries something (especially something for Eduardo) it has to be perfect. 

"Don't stare too hard, Wardo. I promise to clean it up." He steers Eduardo to their dining room where the food is waiting on warmers and Eduardo freezes, stares at the table before looking at Mark silently. 

He shrugs and feels that cold thread of fear that he might not have done what he should have. "I just thought you might want something different. I mean, not different for you because you've eaten this a lot, but you know." He stops blabbering and nudges Eduardo closer to the table. "Your mom sent me her personal recipe, but I'm pretty sure that it's not anywhere near as good." 

Eduardo stares at him. "You called my mom?" 

Mark bites his lip and nods slowly. "I wasn't sure how to make it and figured she'd--" 

His words are cut off by Eduardo's mouth, hungry and hot, one hand threading through Mark's curls, the other one wrapping around Mark's waist. He makes a protesting sound but his hands are clenching onto Eduardo's shoulders and he shudders when their tongues meet, soft and sweet. His stomach aches with pleasure and Mark needs to breathe but he doesn't want to let go. 

Eduardo pulls back to give him a grin that splits across his face. "You amaze me, Mark."

He feels his own eyes widen at that, air leaving his lungs, because that's Wardo. That's what he does to Mark, makes him -- he doesn't have the words. Eduardo overwhelms, and he hates that so much but he can't seem to change it. "We should eat. It's going to get cold." 

Eduardo guides him away from the table and towards the stairs. He drops soft kisses as they go, lingers once or twice, makes Mark lean up, tighten his hold on him. "It's better the second time around." 

Mark is sure he isn't just talking about the paella. 

\-- --

Eduardo's favorite book is _The Little Prince_. He once told Mark that, quiet and a little shy, during a drunken study session at Harvard. (Eduardo is many things but shy is not one of them.) He told Mark that his father used to read it to him when he was a kid, and that until he was ten, Eduardo wanted to live on a planet with a rose he could love and take care of forever. That he related to the little prince. Mark kept his mouth shut because he'd remembered thinking when he'd read the book that the prince should have walked away from the rose, left it to die on its own, and been more worried about the fact that he lived alone on a bare planet with nothing to show for it. That was fucking tragic. 

(Mark realizes how very prophetic it all is now.)

So when Eduardo's birthday rounds the corner, he knows what he wants to do.

He looks for over a week until he finally finds a first edition of the book, signed by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, at an auction in Paris. He can't actually go there himself because then Eduardo would want to know why Mark is leaving the country or want to go with him. He needs it to be a surprise. Dustin is at his parents for the week and Chris -- well, Chris has enough going on as it is. He contemplates sending Sharon but he's not sure he could function without her for more than a few hours (he is aware she is the reason he hasn't killed most of the people he comes into contact with on a daily basis because she handles all the crap that would set him off). 

That leaves Sean. 

His life is ridiculous. 

Sean jumps at the chance to help him (and go party in Paris for a few nights), and Mark sends him with specific instructions, dread churning in his chest. 

Eduardo notices his tension in the following days and makes an effort, as always, to ease it, but it's not until Sean walks into his office holding a package carefully wrapped in his hands, sets it gently on his desk, that Mark feels the stress ease out of his body. He glances up at Sean and gives him a rare smile.

"Thank you." 

Sean glances away, shrugs and walks back out. If Mark didn't know better, he’d swear that Sean was blushing. 

The book is warm when he touches it, cover only slightly worn from age, and Mark opens it with care. His French is passable but Eduardo speaks it fluently, so he knows this is going to be good. That he'll be happy with it and that's enough for Mark. 

\-- --

He isn't sure whether he'll give Eduardo the gift at the party that Dustin puts together, but Chris encourages him to, so he has it wrapped and tucks it away in Dustin's office the day before the party. Dustin goes all out for the celebration but keeps the guests to a minimum, inviting the few of Eduardo's co-workers who Eduardo would call friends, his cousins Carlos and Paolo who live in L.A. and drive up for Eduardo (and Mark is not intimidated by them _at all_ ), Gretchen who gives Mark the most annoyingly adoring look when he brings Eduardo a drink while they are talking, and a few essential personnel from the office. 

And Sean, of course.

He knows that Dustin invited Eduardo's parents but Mark is secretly relieved they couldn't make it. (Well, he would have been fine seeing Adela.)

The food is really good, the drinks flow freely, and by the time they sing “Happy Birthday” (Eduardo's cousins throwing in a few verses in Portuguese and picking him up to kiss his cheeks when they finish), everyone is loose and relaxed. The presents range from the ridiculous (a tie bib - "It's totally the thing now, Eduardo," Dustin says, grinning) to the inappropriate (Mark hides his face at Sean's gift certificate from an exclusive sex toy shop - "Mark and I have probably got this down, but thanks, Sean," Eduardo says) to the useful (a new organizer because Chris can always be counted on). 

Mark slips into the house and retrieves the  
book, brings it back out just in time to hand it Eduardo. "Happy Birthday, Wardo." 

Eduardo's eyes light up as he reaches for the gift, leans in to give Mark a kiss on the cheek and quietly says, "Thank you," before turning back to the present. He opens it slowly and it takes Mark all his willpower not to make him rip the paper off so he can get to it. Mark keeps his eyes on Eduardo's face as he pulls the book out. It goes slack for a moment, his lips parting, and Mark thinks there's a tremble at the corners of his mouth. He opens the flap and reads silently, eyes scanning the page. Mark doesn't panic, even if he doesn't understand what it means exactly (but he is getting better at not assuming the worst here), shifts his gaze to Sean who is hiding a smile behind his hand. Then Eduardo looks at him, eyes wet, and he steps forward to take the damn book away but Eduardo pulls it back, turns quickly to hand it to Chris, and before Mark knows what’s happening, Eduardo is in his space, both hands cradling Mark's face, and kisses him.

Mark's eyes close and he sighs into the kiss, doesn't think about the crowd of people around them or that they never do this, not in public, because that doesn't matter. This is about them. Eduardo's teeth bite his lips, illicit a moan that will embarrass him later to remember, and Mark clenches at the back of Eduardo's jacket. They pull apart and Mark hears Sean cheering them on and Carlos telling them to get a room, but when he glances at him he sees the smile he's giving them. Dustin jumps around Chris who gives Mark a thumbs up. Eduardo leans down once more to catch Mark's lips. 

"So you liked it then," Mark mumbles against Eduardo's mouth, meets his dark, heavy gaze. 

Eduardo laughs softly, a bit watery, and noses his cheek, trailing kisses on his skin, behind Mark's ear and whispers, "I love you so much." 

Mark pulls his mouth back down to his this time and kisses him again. 

\-- -- 

He expects Eduardo to call him on his recent attention. It's not unusual, per se, but it's more than Mark had given before. He takes off an entire day to coincide with Eduardo's and they go out to lunch. He lets Eduardo drag him into this old bookstore that Eduardo loves and sits quietly with him on one of the overstuffed love seats in the back. Mark takes out his laptop, moving it only when Eduardo nudges it off Mark's knees to claim his lap. 

They go out to dinner a little more often and spend an evening or two on their couch with Mark trying to make Eduardo understand why Star Wars is as awesome as it is ("It's a _space western_ , Wardo. With robots. And Jedi mind tricks. And the fucking Death Star. What about that _isn't_ awesome?").

But Eduardo doesn't.

And Mark still loves him. 

Sometimes Mark catches him looking toward him, his face a combination of hope and fear that Mark understands. He probably has the same look on his own face every so often. But it makes Mark feel better, too. 

He's not alone in this. 

\-- -- 

Sex with Wardo is awesome. That's not really surprising because hello, it's Wardo. His face alone turns Mark on so much that he can't sit still when he looks at him. His legs wrapped around Mark's hips distract Mark in the middle of coding when the memory flashes in his mind and it takes him too long to push that image away. Being in love with Wardo is not productive for Mark's work or website. (It never really was, but he doesn't care anymore about that.)

Sometimes it's quick and dirty. 

Mark’s been dealing with privacy issues, a crash on the back end slowing them down to a crawl, and the backlash from the new features, all within a span of thirty hours. He hasn't seen the inside of his house in that long, and Eduardo in even longer, but he doesn’t expect it when he shows up at the offices.

He notices Eduardo leaning against the doorway and gives him what is probably an exhausted half-smile. "Hey. What are you doing here? It's fuck o'clock in the morning, Wardo." 

Eduardo looks at him for a long moment then steps inside, closes the door behind him and walks to the desk. "I couldn't sleep." 

The words _without you_ are left unspoken but Mark can see the circles under Eduardo's eyes and he frowns, his shoulders hunch down more. He fails a lot of the time at this kind of thing. 

He sees Eduardo roll his eyes as he rounds the corner of the desk, pushes the button to bring down the privacy shield on the windows of Mark's office. Before he can ask, Eduardo drops to his knees, pulls Mark's chair closer, and looks up at him. "Don't start over-thinking. I missed you so I came down here to fix that." He reaches up to trace his fingers over Mark's mouth, and Mark's heart beats against them when they trail down his neck, his chest. Eduardo's other hand pulls at Mark's waist, moves him forward. 

Eduardo's fingers are fast and undo his zip, shove his boxers aside, uncovering Mark's cock. Eduardo's mouth is hot and slick. Mark leans his head back, eyes closing, and moans long and louder than he should. The thought that people might hear them passes through his head, but then Eduardo’s tongue licks up Mark's shaft and his mind blanks out except for the heat and suction he feels. It's sloppy and fast, Mark's hand gripping hard on Eduardo's head, hips jerking up into his mouth until Eduardo makes a choking sound but he doesn't stop, keeps at it until Mark comes with Eduardo's name on his lips. 

All of the tension leaves his muscles and Mark pets Eduardo’s hair, eyes open halfway to see Eduardo swallow and swallow until it's too much to see. Eduardo rests his head against Mark's thighs, rubs his face against him, then fixes Mark’s clothes and stands up. Mark starts to protest because he wants to taste Eduardo but then he sees the wet stain on Eduardo's trousers. He meets Eduardo’s gaze. 

Eduardo came from touching Mark, from taking Mark, and the heat rolls through him, his cock twitching painfully. 

"We're going home." 

Eduardo looks at him, confused, as he wipes his hands with a tissue. "But the --"

"It'll wait." 

He's met with raised eyebrows.

Mark grabs at Eduardo's shirt, wrinkled and slightly damp, brings him closer to bite at his jaw. Eduardo jerks in response, stifles a groan when Mark says, "I'm taking you home and fucking you, Wardo. Do not argue." 

Eduardo laughs happily against Mark's mouth. "I have no problem with this plan." 

\-- -- 

He can handle those times because he feels like he can control himself when it's about their need to have each other _nownownow_. It's hot and fast and too much going on for Mark to think about anything else. 

Sometimes, though, it's soft and quiet.

It's Eduardo running his hands over Mark's skin, mumbling words against his neck, touching the small of Mark's back, licking gently at the crease where Mark's thighs meet his groin, burying his face in Mark's chest or hip or cock and kissing gently, reverently, and Mark doesn't know what to do with himself then. Eduardo slots his hips between Mark's legs and pushes at them until Mark gives way, arranges so he can slip inside Mark in one long, hot slide. He makes them wait, forehead dropping to Mark's. 

"Open your eyes, Mark. I want to see." 

It's too much and Mark can't stop the groan that rumbles out of him as Eduardo slides almost all the way out before pushing in all the way. He sets the pace, usually slow and steady, no matter how much Mark begs. The build starts in his spine and shoots out through his legs, arms, chest. Mark digs his fingers into the sweat-slicked skin of Eduardo’s back, jerking his hips to get more, more friction, more flesh, more Eduardo. 

Eduardo keeps on kissing him, touching him, caressing his neck and shoulder and face, mumbling love and endearments and --

He comes with eyes wide open and it's blinding and hot and so much of everything. 

Eduardo falls off the edge with him. 

\-- --

Dustin worries about their relationship more than either Mark or Eduardo ever do. He thinks Mark's lack of expressing his emotions means trouble. It doesn't matter that Mark _does_ express them in his own way. Mark doesn't know how to explain that he can't take the chance of saying them out loud and then it going to hell.

But Dustin doesn't need him to say that because he's Dustin and fucking psychic, apparently.

"I get that you think you'll jinx it, Mark. Hell, I even understand _why_ you do. You've loved him a long time and wasted a bunch of it being an asshole." 

Mark makes a face but it's sadly true. 

"And I know that you show him. I see that." 

Mark is relieved to hear it. 

"But sometimes you need to hear it." 

Mark was afraid of that. 

\-- --

He wants to say the words every single day but it's -- he doesn't know what it is. Dr. Turner, his therapist, tells him it's a fear of commitment or rejection. That it's more the way Mark was built and that's not something you can change easily. 

"Fire her, Mark," his mother says on the phone one night, and Mark smirks into the receiver. She hates the idea of her son going to a shrink when she's more than capable of helping. 

"You just want to be my therapist, Mom." 

She snorts. "I am your therapist, son. I just don't get paid for it." 

Mark rolls his eyes, looks over his shoulder as Eduardo strolls through the room, only wearing mussed hair and sleep pants. He gives Mark a sleepy smile, brushes a hand over his head as he heads towards the kitchen. It's a lazy Sunday for both of them. He brings his attention back to his mother. "This is what happens when you have kids. I told you that." 

"You are a pain in my ass, honey." 

Mark laughs but it’s cut off by a sigh when Eduardo wraps his arms around Mark's shoulders from behind, kisses his neck and rubs their cheeks together. "Good morning, querido." 

Mark closes his eyes and turns to drop a quiet kiss on Eduardo's mouth. "Good morning." 

His  
mother makes a funny noise on the other end of the line. "Mark, you don't have a problem expressing anything. Trust me." 

Eduardo gives him a strange look, having heard that, but Mark shakes his head. 

Thankfully, his mother saves him from having to explain when she asks to talk to Eduardo. He hands his husband the phone, mouthing, "My mom wants to say hi," and his heart trips over in his chest at the happiness on Eduardo's face when he grabs the phone and says, "Hey, Mom." 

\-- -- 

They fight about one thing more than anything else. 

Mark wants Eduardo to come back to Facebook. Eduardo refuses. 

"Do you not remember what happened last time?" Eduardo snaps as he throws the file Mark handed him onto the coffee table. "We lost two years, Mark. I don't -- baby, I appreciate that you want me to be a part of this, but you're a part of it, so I am, too. That's how this marriage thing works." 

Mark pushes away the thrill he gets from Eduardo's endearments (and Mark knows how stupid he is over Wardo because he always hated pet names before him) and waves his hand at the papers. "But you just were." 

Eduardo gives him a look. "Looking over some of the book-keeping and reading up on new projects is not the same thing as working for you -- _for you_ , Mark -- and you know that." 

He shoves a hand through his hair, makes it puff up and out and it's incredibly distracting. Mark's hand itches to smooth it down. 

"I like who we are together, Mark." 

"And working at the company will change that, how?" 

It's an honest question, and Eduardo pauses to think about it before saying, "Okay, you say that Facebook is ours, right?" 

Mark nods. 

"Right. But that's because I'm here -- for you, at home -- to listen to the problems you're having there, give an opinion, argue about it, but ultimately it's always your decision and you know that I'll support whatever you decide. That wouldn't be the case if I went back, Mark." 

He starts to argue but Eduardo shakes his head. 

"No, don't even. It honestly would not. You need to be in control, to know that you have the ultimate say in the company. If I was there, I might take that away from you, in your mind, anyway, and where would we be then?" 

Mark scowls as he thinks about that, and more so when he glances up to see Eduardo's smirk. 

"You know I'm right." 

Mark doesn't look at him. 

"Say it." 

Mark snorts. 

\-- -- 

Eduardo's job takes him on monthly trips out of state and on some occasions even the country. Mark suggests that Eduardo open his own consulting firm (or whatever will make him happy), but Eduardo insists he needs to learn the business inside and out before he can. He works odd hours of the day, invests in several different start-ups, and does all the consulting work his company allows. 

Mark misses him anytime he's gone.

Everyone at Facebook (and the coffee shop they frequent, and Mark's relatives, and pretty much the whole world) understands to stay clear of Mark whenever Eduardo is on a trip. (They learned this early on and now Dustin sends out a mass company email, excluding Mark of course, to warn for _anger ball Mark_.) It's not like Eduardo _has_ to actually go, because he could work at Facebook, but whatever. They've had that conversation and Mark isn't going to admit that Eduardo's point is clear and probably right. 

So he takes stupid trips for his stupid job and Mark stays behind, works one hundred hour weeks while Eduardo is gone, eats when Chris forces him to, and barely sees the inside of his house. (He hates how quiet it is without Wardo noises in the background.) 

It's during one of these trips, in New York, that Eduardo accidentally runs into his father at a conference they are both attending. Mark learns about it through Sean, who calls him directly. 

"Wait, what?" 

"Wardo's dad is at the conference. They had a massive fucking fight. I mean, Mark, it was epic and shit." 

Mark shakes his head. "How do you even _know_ this, Sean?" He doesn't think about the fact that he has spoken to Eduardo and he hadn't mentioned it. 

"I got eyes everywhere, Marky. Do not forget this. Sean Parker knows all." 

Mark tries really hard to not roll his eyes when he talks to Sean because it happens so often in a conversation with his friend that the effort is useless at this point. He starts to ask for details when Sean's voice gets low, serious in a way it almost never does. 

"I think you need to call him, Mark. He needs some support. David suggested he could even cut the trip short, but you know Wardo." David is one of the partners at Eduardo's company, one of the few colleagues Mark knows Eduardo likes. 

Mark does know Eduardo. There's no way his husband would slack off on his job for anything, especially not his father. He'd be determined to do the exact opposite. It wouldn't matter if his own boss told him to leave. Eduardo is a stubborn fuck when he wants to be. 

Eduardo would barely be able to handle a couple of hours ( _obviously_ ) alone around his father, let alone a couple of days. 

Mark knows what he needs to do. 

"Sean, listen, thanks for the call, man." 

Sean makes an approving noise. Of course he knows what Mark is thinking. His psychic abilities are almost as creepy as Dustin's. "Anytime. Someone needs to look out after you two." 

Mark hangs up and opens a new browser, makes a quick search and then purchase before calling Chris.

"I need you to do me a favor."

 

\-- -- 

 

Mark is exhausted when he gets off the plane at JFK nearly eight hours later. The sun is setting and he's more than a little happy about that. His favorite time in New York is always at night. The lights rise up from the ground, scattered visions of reflected night against the thousands of window panes. He doesn't love it the way he does Palo Alto because everything he needs and wants is there. 

Well, almost everything. 

There's a driver waiting for him on the ground floor and Mark gets his attention. He only brought a carry-on, to avoid as many crowds as he could. The car is sleek and comfortable, the lull of the road makes him sleepy, and he rests his head against the seat. Mark dozes off and comes to when the car stops. 

"We're here, sir." 

He gets out, tips Henry, the driver, and asks if he'll be available tomorrow. Henry tells him that he's been booked for the whole three days Mark is in town. Sharon is a rock star; he knew that when he hired her, but it's always nice to be proven correct. 

Stepping through the hotel door, he glances around and catches a group he thinks are probably with the conference. Mark makes a face at the stuffy suits and ties that remind him of his Uncle Chester, tired and truly boring, and wonders how Eduardo fits in with them. He could be so much more than that. He knows Eduardo has a plan, and he trusts him to know what he is doing. He bypasses the front desk, heads for the elevator bay and presses the number twenty-one. 

Eduardo always leaves Mark his room numbers. (They can be found on the itinerary Wardo started leaving Mark after that first trip when Mark hadn't realized he'd left because coding disaster had kept him too busy to say goodbye. Mark had promptly freaked the fuck out when he realized Eduardo was gone.)

He steps out, finds the right door and knocks quickly. There’s noise from inside, someone fumbling around, and then Eduardo is there, clad in sleep pants and an old Harvard t-shirt. His mouth drops open when he sees Mark, but then something flares in his eyes and his whole face lights up. Mark pushes in, closes the door behind him, setting his bag on the floor.

"Mark, what are you--?"

Mark shrugs. "I missed you." He pulls Eduardo into a tight hug, buries his face right in the crook that Mark made his own between Eduardo's neck and shoulder. “Hi.” 

Eduardo's arms fold around Mark and he leans his own head down, presses his cheek to the top of Mark's head, laughs out a sigh. “Hi. You have fucking excellent timing.” 

Mark's eyes widen as he pulls back to look Eduardo in the face. “Wow. That bad, huh?” Eduardo rarely curses unless he is too angry to realize he's doing it or too overwhelmed to care that he's doing it. 

“Hmm. I take it you know already.” 

“You could say I heard a few things.” He frowns up at Eduardo but can't help but shuffle in closer to his warmth. “But not from you.” 

Eduardo's face grows taut with a combination of frustration and anger that Mark hasn't been witness to in a long time. 

“You said it didn't matter anymore,” Mark says. 

“It doesn't. Not like it used to.” 

Eduardo walks toward the small dining table in the suite, covers the dinner he was eating before Mark interrupted quickly. Mark knows perfectly well what Eduardo is doing: an old habit he falls back on. He moves across the room and places his hands on Eduardo's shoulders. They relax slightly under his touch. It thrills Mark that he can do that. That it's Mark that Eduardo can rely on to make it better not worse. He leans his head on Eduardo's back, dropping open-mouth kisses until the shivers under his fingers give way to moans. 

“Mark.”

“You wanna talk about it?” he asks, lips skimming up Eduardo's neck. Mark stands on his toes to reach him. 

Eduardo makes a noise that could be yes but is probably more like “ _Kiss me,_ ” and Mark likes to interpret things his own way so he chooses to believe it's the latter. He guides Eduardo around until he faces Mark and then pushes up on his toes again and latches his mouth to Eduardo's. It's meant to be soothing, comfort that Eduardo needs, but hands are pushing Mark back until his back hits a wall. Eduardo buries his face in Mark's skin, licks a long stripe up his throat to his chin until their mouth are fighting for control. 

Mark's hands fist in Eduardo's hair, pulling until he makes him gasp, Eduardo's eyes dark and wide when he meets Mark's.

“I hate him for making you this sad.” 

The words sink inside Eduardo's mouth as their tongues duel, garbled between breaths, but Mark knows Eduardo understands when he whines, eyes shutting closed as Mark's hand works on the zip of his pants, undoes the button, and they both groan when Mark has Eduardo in his hold, stroking with a firm pace. 

He'll make Eduardo forget, even if it's for a little while. 

That's his job now. 

– – 

Later, as Mark’s skin starts to cool and Eduardo's head rests against his shoulder, he asks, “What happened?” 

There's a long pause – long enough that Mark thinks Eduardo fell asleep – before he hears Eduardo say, “It didn't have anything to do with me.” 

Mark leans his head up but Eduardo bites his shoulders, hands forcing him to stay lying down. He knows what Eduardo isn't saying, and that – he wasn't even sure Eduardo's father would have cared at all. 

“He thinks that I made a mistake in marrying you because of what happened with Facebook,” Eduardo states plainly so Mark doesn't have to keep guessing. 

“Ah, I would have thought the fact I'm a man --” 

“Oh, no. That's not something he's thrilled about either, but it's more that he doesn't trust my decisions. Always been the problem.”

Mark plays with the loose curls on Eduardo’s head, threads his fingers between them as he thinks of a way to phrase his question without Eduardo –

“I don't regret it, Mark.” He moves his head a few inches, stares up at him from where his head presses against Mark's arm. “You make me happy. Everything else we can deal with along the way.” 

And this is the reason Mark doesn't understand why Eduardo is here because he doesn't deserve that kind of – declaration. He should be making them. 

“Your father is an idiot.” 

Eduardo nods, yawns against Mark's neck as he presses his face in his favorite spot. “No argument from me.” 

Mark stays quiet until Eduardo's breathing evens out, stares up at the ceiling, his mind whirling with a million and one thoughts.

– – 

The next morning, Eduardo goes back down for the last day of the conference. Mark kisses him slowly against the hotel door, savoring the taste of Eduardo's mouth. He leans away only to have Eduardo follow him in, gripping Mark's hips and dipping in for more. Mark's eyes flutter shut when Eduardo sighs, dragging one hand up his side and stopping to curl it around Mark's neck. 

"I have to go, baby." 

Mark chokes against the way his heart skips whenever Eduardo uses that word with him. 

He is ridiculous.

"Okay." 

"I love you," Eduardo whispers against his lips, pecks them once more, and then is out the door before Mark can even form the thought to say it back.

\-- -- 

He decides to stay in the hotel room while Eduardo is working. It's not like he doesn't have enough of his own work to keep him busy with the new Account Settings features rolling out in a few months. Mark can already hear the sound of hundreds of thousands of users’ screams, but he trusts his instinct with his company. It might be the only place in his life where he is sure.

Dustin asked him once if he was ever going to stop changing it, ever going to be satisfied, and Mark hadn't known the answer. Probably not. And if he ever did, then that was it. Mark would be done and he'd find something else to occupy the space in his head that was taken up by Facebook. 

(The rest of it is taken up by Eduardo.)

\-- -- 

Eduardo doesn't say much when he gets back to the room.

But the way he hugs Mark tightly to him says more than any words could.

\-- --

Their flight leaves early in the morning (Mark doesn't want Eduardo to spend any more time near his father than he has to), but they decide to have dinner at Becco, one of Mark's favorites, and he watches Eduardo unwind, his eyes brightening and smile become freer as the night progresses. 

Eduardo convinces Mark to take a walk with him through Central Park.

They stop to get hot chocolate from a vendor, and Mark bites down on a smile when Eduardo burns his tongue and makes the most hilarious faces. He reaches out to wipe Eduardo's mouth with his fingers but Eduardo catches Mark's hands with his, pulling him in to kiss him, lips tasting sweet and dark. 

Mark thinks _I love you I love you I love you._

\-- --

Sean meets them at the airport and hauls Eduardo into a hug. Mark laughs at the way Eduardo rolls his eyes and shoves at Sean to let him go.

They wait for Eduardo to grab his suitcase (Mark only took a carry-on; he hates waiting at an airport) and Sean turns to look at him. "Did you see him?" 

Mark shakes his head. 

Sean nods. "Probably a good idea."

Mark couldn’t agree more. 

\-- -- 

"Mark?" 

He sets down his laptop, heading to the kitchen where he'd heard Eduardo's voice coming from, and stops at the doorway to stare as Eduardo sits on the counter, laughing into the phone. Mark's eyebrow raises and he shoves away the little bit of jealousy that flares that someone else is making him sound that way. 

"I think Mark won't have a problem with that," Eduardo says, then glances up and grins at Mark. “And speaking of Mark." 

He waves Mark over, and when he's close enough, Eduardo hands Mark the phone, kisses him once before leaning back, and keeps on smiling as Mark stares at him suspiciously, bringing the receiver to his ear. 

"Hi, honey." 

He looks up at Eduardo and scowls at him. "Hi, mom." 

\-- --

Apparently Eduardo and Mark’s mother have been talking when Mark isn't around, which  
is scary enough, but now they've been invited home for the holidays, and Mark can't seem to find any excuse to keep them away from what could very well be the thing that scares Eduardo off forever. 

Eduardo rolls his eyes and swings his feet against their counter. "It's not like we're plotting against you." 

Mark gapes at him. "It is _exactly_ like you're plotting against me."

"It's just Hanukah, Mark. Really." 

Mark snorts. 

"Not with us, it's not."

\-- --

Hanukah is a huge deal in Mark's house. They were never an overly religious family. His parents let them make their own decisions about what they believed. Mark doesn't, but he knows better than to force that on others, so he never says no to being told to come home for the holidays. It's the one time of the year they get to be a family. He loves them more than he can say (surpassed only by how much he loves Eduardo), so he never complains much when he receives orders to come home. Except this year he'd wanted to spend it alone with Eduardo. They were finding their footing as family and making some traditions of their own -- whatever those turned out to be. 

But Eduardo looks so thrilled by the idea of going to his parents’ for the holiday that Mark doesn't have the heart tell him it's not that exciting or even fun. His extended family is hard to take and Mark usually ends up hiding out in the den, working. 

This year, though, there's Eduardo. 

Eduardo makes everything better.

Thanksgiving consists of dinner and a Halo marathon with Chris and Dustin. He falls asleep with his head on Eduardo's shoulder and wakes up with Eduardo curled up around him on the couch, Chris snoring on the loveseat, and Dustin twisted on the armchair watching all of them. 

Sharon works her magic and manages to clear his schedule for a week. Eduardo eyes him suspiciously when Mark promises he won't even sneak away to double-check on the site. (He has his phone for that, anyway.)

They arrive in Dobbs Ferry early in the afternoon.

The taxi drops them off right in front of the house and Mark sees the driveway already packed with cars. Eduardo places his hand on Mark's back, rubs circles, and says, "Come on, let's go in." 

His Aunt Mary opens the door, screams out when she sees him, and then envelops both him and Eduardo in a huge, perfume-scented hug, and Mark almost laughs at the frightened, wide-eyed stare he gives Mark over his aunt's shoulders.

Everyone comes out of every corner of the house, shaking hands and giving hugs and kisses. Eduardo’s cheeks are red when Mark's cousins coo over how cute he is. Mark stands back and lets it happen because this was really all Eduardo's idea.

They sit down for dinner, which is nothing compared to what will go down tomorrow night, and Eduardo gets seated between his cousin Genie and Randi. 

Randi -- doesn't trust Eduardo, angry that he'd hurt Mark, even though Mark has explained numerous times that no, really, he had it coming. She is very much like Mark in a lot of ways. Stubborn and angry without any reason to hide it. Eduardo keeps sending glances toward Mark, and after several attempts to talk to her, he doesn't try to again.

When dinner is over, Mark corners his sister in the den, closing the door hard behind him.

"Randi, what the hell?"

"Look, I'm not going to pretend that this whole farce is okay, Mark."

He sighs, pinching his nose, and says quietly, "You have no idea what is going on. Trust me, Rand, okay? I am perfectly fine with everything." 

She stares at him for a long time and then her face softens. "Oh, Mark. You're in love with him."

Mark leaves the room.

\-- --

Everyone pretty much loves Wardo. 

Even his Aunt Clara's annoying dog seems to warm up to him, which Mark thinks has more to do with Eduardo feeding him scraps under the table at dinner, but it counts. He has that effect on people without even trying. Sean says it's the fluffy hair and big eyes. Mark thinks it's because he’s Wardo and if you don't love him there's something wrong with you. 

But then he is biased. 

Anyway.

Everyone pretty much loves Wardo, so he knows -- without a shadow of a doubt -- that Randi's going to fall like everyone else.

It doesn't take very long. 

He gives her credit for trying harder once she realizes that Mark is serious about this marriage. She mostly trusts his judgment. They are too alike and she knows he'd never try something he didn't think he could be good at eventually. Randi wants to ask questions, Mark can tell, but wisely realizes that this topic is not up for discussion yet. He'll tell her when he's ready to. He can also see that she isn't sure how Eduardo feels. 

Mark could try to convince her, if he thought it would do any good. 

But Eduardo does it all on his own.

They're sitting in the kitchen, listening to their dad talk about the new advances in dentistry (and really, Mark doesn't need to know that much about gum disease) when they hear the sound of a crying baby. Randi's youngest, Sarah, had been sleeping in the playpen they'd set up in the living room. She gets up to check on her. Mark lets his mom use him as a guinea pig for her brisket. He takes a bite and then heads for the living room, stopping when he finds Randi standing just inside the entryway. 

"Hey, what's--"

She turns a little teary-eyed and says, "I really wanted to hate him." 

Mark looks beyond her into the room and his heart expands in his chest. That's not something he expected. Eduardo is lying down on the couch, Sarah splayed out on his chest, her head nestled down, and he is talking quietly to her. Mark catches a few words as Eduardo's voice carries to him. He starts to hum a few notes of what Mark guesses is a lullaby. Mark's eyes follow the way Eduardo's hands cradle Sarah's head as he tries to sway. 

He hears someone catch their breath. His mother is standing behind them, watery smile on her face as well. 

Eduardo's reduced his family to tears. This is ridiculous. 

"Okay. Let's just go. He's got this." 

Mark doesn't acknowledge the fact that Eduardo with a baby does something funny to his stomach. He will not think about it. Not right now. 

Randi looks at Mark as they head back into the kitchen, shaking her head as she bites at her lip, nervous tic they share. "You never had a chance." 

He really never did. 

\-- --

Mark thinks he prefers Randi _not_ liking Eduardo, because this thing where they are the best of friends and Eduardo is learning everything there is to know about Mark is so not okay with him. It's bad enough that his mother pulls out the photo albums (which, he really needs to get her to go digital, it's not the fucking eighties), but she ends up insisting that Mark and Eduardo stay with them in Mark's old room.

Eduardo sees the posters, the half-built computers, the shelf overflowing with books, old papers, leftover awards, and gives Mark a bemused look. 

"I married the king of geeks, didn't I?" 

Mark rolls his eyes, mouth quirking up at the corners. "We couldn't all be born wearing Hugo Boss and charming the pants off the nurses." 

Eduardo snorts and mutters, "Get real." 

Mark schools his face into an innocent expression. "I still don't know what you're doing here with me." It's meant as a joke but Eduardo's face goes serious, and Mark stops when he feels his hand on Mark's chest. 

"You know I'm here because I love you, right? That you make me happy." 

Mark swallows down on the burst of awe that bubbles in his throat. "I know. Me, too." 

Eduardo leans down, kisses him softly, lingering for a few seconds, and then grabs his bag to change. 

It takes a minute for Mark to realize that would have probably been the place to say _I love you._

\-- --

They settle into Mark's old room. Eduardo cuddles closer to Mark in sleep and Mark thinks how after all those years, his room is seeing some action. 

They wake up earlier than everyone else and Eduardo talks Mark into helping him start on breakfast. He wants to make French toast, but when they get to the kitchen, Mark's mom is at the stove. Mark kisses Eduardo on the cheek when his face falls, but Mark's mom puts them to work, leaving them in charge of the egg casserole while she goes to the store for some ingredients she needs to make French toast with Eduardo. 

Mark's sipping his coffee when he feels Eduardo's hands wrap around his waist and turn him around with a flourish. Mark yelps as his coffee almost spills, but it gets cut off as Eduardo seals their mouths together. He hums in the back of his throat as he sets his cup down on the table blindly. With his hands free, he threads them through Eduardo's hair and makes a surprised noise when Eduardo pins him to the table. Eduardo's mouth is slick and he takes his time as he tastes Mark. 

He lets his eyes fall closed and groans when Eduardo's hands start to move under his shirt and up his back. 

Someone clears their throat. 

Mark and Eduardo jump apart to meet Randi's shocked but warm gaze. 

"Good morning."

Eduardo's face is red as he mumbles a hello and leaves the room quickly.

Randi grins at Mark, wearing an adoring look on her face that Mark doesn't like and saying with much amusement, "I take it back. I am all for this farce." 

\-- --

The week flies by, which shocks Mark. He's normally crawling the walls by the third day, but as he predicted, Eduardo is the perfect distraction. He takes his sisters, Arielle and Donna, out shopping so that Mark can spend time catching up on work. (Eduardo had rolled his eyes when Mark started to explain that he needed to make sure an update went up right, and said, "Mark. I would worry if you _didn't_ check on the site. That would be scary.") He watches football with Mark's father and cousins. Mark even joins them eventually and he's surprised how much Eduardo knows about the sport. 

"I never knew you were so sport literate, Wardo."

 

Wardo grins and leans in to whisper in his ear, "I know how to use Wikipedia like everyone else," making Mark laugh into his shoulder while his father shushes them both. 

Donna and Eduardo get along like two peas in a pod, which Mark kind of loves. Donna’s always been the quietest of his sisters. Their parents worry about her, but Mark knows she'll come into her own soon enough. Eduardo must find a kindred spirit in his little sister because they spend an inordinate amount of time talking on the front porch, sitting on the old swing with mugs of coffee. 

His mother adores Eduardo. 

None of this surprises Mark. This is Eduardo. 

But that doesn't mean that Eduardo can't surprise him. 

For example, Mark doesn't really know what to do when he overhears his father and Eduardo in the den on the morning they're going home. Eduardo's voice sounds very serious and Mark frowns. He shouldn't listen, but if something is wrong...

"So. You're asking for Mark's hand in marriage is what you're saying?"

Mark's eyes go wide. _What?_

Eduardo's laugh is nervous but real. "It does seem kind of late, but I -- he -- I want to do this right." 

There's a long pause from his father. 

"You're doing a good job at it, son." 

"Thank you, Edward." 

Mark has to leave before he does something crazy like jump his husband in front of his father.

\-- -- 

Things are pretty much normal when they get back to Palo Alto. Mark stays at the office longer hours for at least one week. He feels like he's neglecting the company even though everyone seems to be getting along fine when he’s gone. Eduardo is home waiting when he goes home and that's something to aim for. 

New Year’s Eve is spent at Dustin’s. He'd insisted on a party but Mark wasn't up to some huge, crowded, noisy, drunken get-together. Dustin made him promise to go anyway. He is pleasantly surprised to find a quiet gathering. Only the four of them and Sean, plus the new girl Dustin's been seeing. They sit around drinking from Dustin’s half-empty bottles of booze and eating the catered food Dustin brought in. 

Mark watches the ball go down on the television. Eduardo hooks his chin over Mark's shoulder as they watch together, whispers in his ear, "Happy New Year, Mark." Mark turns his head and kisses Eduardo.

\-- --

Sean and Eduardo's friendship is odd and mysterious to Mark. Mostly because while Sean insists that he is "Wardo's best friend, Mark, you can't be that anymore, you're married," Eduardo seems to mostly tolerate Sean, which is really the best any of them can expect. Truth of the matter is that Eduardo's come to -- and Mark's as surprised as anyone -- kind of like Sean. He won't ever trust him. But Mark doesn't either. It doesn't mean he doesn't think of Sean as his friend. 

It's funny to watch Sean try to help Eduardo, whether it's with picking out his clothes or some problem at work that Eduardo can't quite figure out. He especially likes helping them with their relationship because he insists to this day that they don't know how to communicate (which really is bullshit; they've been married nearly two years now -- they communicate perfectly well). 

Eduardo tells Sean to back off every time, but really -- it just goes in one ear and out the other. 

Mark's not sure how Eduardo feels until the day he drags Sean into their house by the scruff of his neck. Eduardo's face is pinched with anger as Mark looks up at the noise they make coming in the door. Sean's barely standing on his own, Eduardo's grip the only thing keeping him from face-planting onto the floor. 

"What happened?" 

Eduardo scowls. "I don't have the first fucking clue. All I know is I was heading home when I got a call from Ben down at McLeod's telling me that Sean is pissed and I need to come and get him before he drives off, or better yet starts trouble." 

Mark watches as Eduardo drags Sean up the stairs. He follows silently behind, stopping to watch from the guest bedroom's doorway as Eduardo deposits Sean on the bed. He takes the time to pull off Sean's shoes, discarding them without care on the floor, muttering to himself the whole time. 

And it hits Mark. 

Eduardo doesn't hate Sean. Not anymore. Somewhere along the way he'd found a way to forgive and even take him in as his friend. He steps back and into the hall when Eduardo pushes him out of the doorway and closes the door softly. 

"He can sleep it off here." 

Mark looks at him, searches his face for anything that clues him into what Eduardo's thinking, but there's nothing. 

"Why are you doing this?"

Eduardo halts on his way down the stairs and gives Mark a concerned look. "Doing what?" 

Mark motions to the closed door. "Helping him." 

"I don't follow, Mark." 

"You hate him."

Eduardo rolls his eyes. "I don't hate Sean."

Mark's frozen in his spot for several moments but manages to gather himself enough to follow Eduardo down the stairs, watching as he takes off his jacket, rolls up his sleeves as he heads into the kitchen. 

"What do you mean you don't hate Sean?" 

"I don't. Do we have any tomato?" Eduardo asks as he pulls their fridge door open, sticking his head inside. "Spaghetti sound good?" 

"Wait, no. I -- how is it you don't hate Sean anymore?"

Eduardo stops taking out ingredients to look at Mark, searches his face before straightening up, closing the fridge door as he does. "Do you like Sean, Mark?"

Of course he does but that's not the point. "What does that even --" 

"Just answer the question, babe, so we can get this conversation over with and I can cook, we can eat, and then I can get you in bed." 

Mark feels a little thrown by that image but he recovers enough to say, "Of course I like him." 

"He is your friend." 

"Yes."

"And despite what you say, you don't keep him around because he's useful to Facebook. Not anymore." 

Mark sighs. Nothing ever gets past Eduardo. "No, I don't." 

Eduardo gestures at Mark with the knife he's using to cut the tomatoes. "There you go." 

Mark blinks. 

"He is your friend, Mark. I know he's been there when -- he cares about you, which I think is rare for Sean. He isn't going anywhere. And I can't spend the rest of my life hating someone that is going to be a part of it." 

"Are you saying you stopped hating Sean for me?" 

Eduardo nods. "Yeah." 

He doesn't think about it when he walks around the island. Eduardo turns his head and lets Mark kiss him thoroughly right there over the tomatoes. 

\-- -- 

Mark walks downstairs the next morning to find Sean with his head against the breakfast bar while Eduardo pours him a cup of coffee.

"You should tell her." 

Sean's head shakes back and forth across the surface of the counter. "Amy isn't like other girls." 

Eduardo laughs. "She couldn't be to put up with your shit." 

"You are a cruel, mean friend, Eduardo Zuckerberg hyphen Saverin. Does your husband know how mean you are?" 

"I am sure he is aware of it. My husband's a genius." 

Sean laughs then groans as he holds his head in his hands. 

Mark turns back up the stairs, grinning as he goes into his room to change. 

\-- -- 

Everything is going so well that something was bound to mess it up. 

That something comes in the shape of Mr. Antonio Saverin.

Mark can't believe his eyes when he enters his office to find Eduardo's father seated calmly in one of his chairs. He glares at the sub they have working as his secretary while Sharon is away. "Call security," he snaps before walking around to stand behind his desk.

Mr. Saverin looks up at him, narrows his eyes as he studies Mark. "Mr. Zuckerberg." 

Mark isn't bound to social niceties. "What do you want?"

Mr. Saverin seems surprised at Mark's bluntness but recovers quickly. "I have come to speak to you about your marriage to my son." 

"That's none of your business." 

"I think it would be in everyone's best interest if you end it now, Mr. Zuckerberg." 

He is so through with this discussion, it's not even remotely funny. "You can leave now." 

Mr. Saverin eyes him furiously. "My son will not make you happy, Mr. Zuckerberg." 

Mark can't even begin to understand how that statement can be uttered by someone who made Eduardo, who’s seen the things he's done and the man he is. How someone who is supposed to love him can think that way. "He already does, so you're talking like an idiot right now." He stands up from his desk and stares pointedly at Mr. Saverin. "I'm not going to try and make you see how wonderful your son is. If you haven't seen that in the last twenty-four years, you never will. But I will warn you, if you break his heart anymore, I will make you regret it." 

Mr. Saverin raises one eyebrow and Mark thinks he sees something like pride flare in his eyes. "I think you're under the impression that I fault my son for not meeting your expectations, Mr. Zuckerberg." 

Mark loses his grip on his anger with that and blinks at Mr. Saverin. 

"I don't follow."

"You took away his company, Mr. Zuckerberg. You hurt my son a great deal more than I ever could have. He never expected better from me." 

It's a swift punch to his gut and Mark is impressed with how well Mr. Zuckerberg can land a punch without raising a hand. 

"That might be true. But I'll make it up to him for the rest of our lives if that's what it takes. The difference between you and me is that you won't ever love him the way he deserves." 

Mr. Saverin stares at him for a long while. "I do love my son, despite what you might think." 

Mark shrugs. "Funny way of showing it." 

Mr. Saverin stands, nodding at Mark. "I hope you know what you are doing." 

He waits until Eduardo's father is at the door before he speaks. "One more thing." 

Mr. Saverin turns to look at him. 

"Do not try to interfere in our marriage, Mr. Saverin. If you even try, I will end you." It's a serious threat because Mark will do anything to keep Eduardo. 

He thinks he sees the edge of a smile  
on Eduardo's father’s face, but the man is gone as abruptly as he'd shown up.

\-- -- 

Eduardo is furious when Mark tells him. 

"Filho da puta! How dare he come here and start acting like --" 

"Like a dad?" 

Eduardo snorts but then he looks sad. Mark moves closer, touches their foreheads together. "He doesn't show it, but he does love you, Wardo." 

Eduardo doesn't say anything back.

\-- --

Mark decides that for their two year anniversary they will celebrate together and alone. He mentions the celebrating part to Dustin, who starts to plan a party. 

"We never got to do one for the first year." 

Eduardo looks up from his lunch and frowns. "I don't think that's what Mark had in mind."

Dustin throws his hands up in the air. "C'mon!” 

"Wardo's right," Sean agrees through a mouthful of white rice, and swallows before continuing, "They probably want to have lots of sex."

Eduardo rolls his eyes, takes a bite of his chicken and chokes as Mark says, "I plan to fuck Eduardo over every available flat surface." 

Dustin covers his ears and yells at Mark, "That is -- oh my god, Mark! The images -- I cannot even!" 

Sean laughs so hard that he falls out of his seat and Eduardo kicks him a little to shut him up. Mark shrugs and goes back to his work. Serves Dustin right. 

\-- -- 

They have a non-honeymoon at their own house. And Mark keeps his promise to fuck Wardo on every flat surface. (They are going to need to wash the island counter really well.)

\-- --

"I was thinking we could get a dog." 

Eduardo opens one eye, lifts his head from the floor and raises an eyebrow. "A dog?" 

"We didn't kill the plants Mom gave us, so..."

Eduardo’s face lights up and he pulls Mark down to meet his lips.

"Dogs are awesome." 

\-- -- 

Mark watches Eduardo’s naked ass with interest as he walks toward their dresser, pulling something out before walking back to him. 

Mark eyes Eduardo's cock with even more interest. 

Eduardo plops down on the bed, presses his face against Mark's cheek, kisses him softly under his jaw and up to his lips. 

Mark turns into him, sighs against Eduardo's mouth, curls one hand around his hip to bring him closer. "C'mere." He feels rather than hears the rumble of Eduardo's laugh and frowns when he pulls back. There's a box in Eduardo's hand. 

He holds it out to Mark. "This is for you. Well, us." 

Mark rolls his eyes but opens the box, stares at the silver rings, slightly heavier than the ones they wear. He glances up at Eduardo who pulls one out, hands it to Mark. 

"Look at the inscription." 

It's tiny and in French. 

_On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur._

He recognizes it immediately and his heart beats faster. Eduardo hands him the second ring, the one that he will wear, and Mark knows what he'll read, blinks at the burn in his eyes. 

_L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux._

Eduardo leans in so that Mark can see him, holds his gaze. "I know." He touches Mark’s face, traces it with his fingers and kisses his forehead. "I see clearly." 

"Is that enough?" 

Mark's head falls back as Eduardo nuzzles against his neck, leaving open-mouth kisses against his flesh. "You are and will always be everything I want, Mark." 

His eyes sting, mouth falls open to say it -- finally -- but Eduardo presses his fingers against Mark's mouth. "All you have to do is kiss me, Mark, and I know." 

So Mark does. 

\-- --

It happens in the bathroom on a Sunday because he is Mark and that's how it was supposed to.

He leans against the door frame and watches Eduardo shake his hips to the music playing from the small radio he keeps on the counter. (Mark worries he'll electrocute himself someday.) He follows the motion of Eduardo's body and glances up to see him watching Mark. Eduardo is brushing his teeth, making stupid faces at the mirror, hair everywhere, creases on his face from the pillow, and Mark can't. 

"I love you." 

Eduardo freezes, eyes going wide, toothbrush mid-stroke, and stares at him in the mirror.  
Then all he sees is a mouth of toothpaste when Eduardo grins so hard it must hurt his face, and Mark grins back. 

He tastes toothpaste in his mouth for the rest of the day. 

 

_"One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye." -- The Little Prince Antoine de Saint-Exupery_


End file.
